Jay D Weaver's Thought for the Week

Smells from the Past
Isn't it interesting how certain smells can conjure up scenes from the past? This morning I sat on the veranda to read my newspaper, as is often my wont. They had just put fresh sealer on the parking area in our cul-de-sac. The smell reminded me of how the road crews oiled and chipped our roads when I was a boy. I guess they still do that. It was always exciting to watch the tank truck spread the hot tar, followed by the dump truck with the crushed limestone. For days, the little stones would hit the underside of the fenders of the passing cars, making a delightful racket.

There were always spots along the side of the road that didn't get chipped properly. On a warm summer day, that would get sort of soft. We usually went barefooted, and it was much more pleasant to walk on that soft, smooth surface than on the rough stones. Cleaning all that pitch off the soles of our feet sure wasn't very pleasant.

I remember other smells from the late 30's. Let me tell you about the "stinky lady." During the Great Depression, hoboes (we called them tramps) roamed the countryside selling combs and shoestrings to earn a few pennies. They also begged for meals. My mother usually provided something for them to eat. She would put some food in a tin pie plate and some water in a tin cup and invite them to eat it on the back porch step.

One day she was down in the basement doing the laundry, when a lady tramp knocked on the door. My sister and I were about 4 or 5 years old. Now we had never seen a lady tramp, so we invited her to come into the kitchen and then called for mother to come upstairs.

This lady, who probably had not bathed in months, smelled pretty ripe. I never saw my mother as upset as she was that day. Mother was polite, and bought a comb and sent her on her way. I don't recall if she gave her something to eat or not. She probably did. After the lady left, my mother scrubbed the floor, the table, and the chair where she sat. She even washed the coins she got in change. It's hard to say what she did with the comb. She must have done something to sterilize it, since we were too poor to throw such things away.

I don't think we were punished for extending hospitality to that stranger, but it was made very clear that we should never again invite a tramp into the house. And we never did! The story about the time we invited the "stinky lady" into the house became one of those wonderful family legends.

I could go on about other smells from the past, but those will have to wait for another day. Don't forget to stop and smell the roses this week. They are now ready for the Japanese Beetles. Happy picking.

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